Certain descriptions of the terminology used in the application are given. A gateway is a communications device which manages the flow of information between two networks. A wireless gateway is a device that connects broadband access to a local wireless network. A network adapter (also called a network interface card or NIC) is typically installed within a slot of the PC to connect the PC with a local area network. An access point, the wireless equivalent of a hub, is a means of entry into a controlled security area, consisting of a card reader, monitor switches and/or latches and is wired to an access control panel. WEP is wired equivalent privacy encryption based on the RC4 encryption algorithm.
Currently, wireless configuration changes, including specifying different profiles, network names, and encryption settings, are performed on a PC-by-PC basis. To further complicate matters for the user, if an access point or wireless residential gateway is used, its settings must stay in sync with that of wireless clients, otherwise the clients will be cut off from the network. If the customer is connected wirelessly to the access point, and opens the access point's user interface and changes the settings, he is at that point in time cut off from the access point and the rest of the network. If he cannot subsequently make the same changes on his client (perhaps he forgot to write down the encryption key) he is out of luck, and must reset the access point. If the access point is in a router, the hardware reset will reset everything, including his WAN settings, so his Internet access is lost. Another problem with this situation is that often the user interfaces among different client adapter setups and different access points and residential gateways use inconsistent methods and terminology, i.e., “SSID”(service set identifier), “ESSID”, and “Network name” are all names for the same thing, and must be set to the same text on each device.
Therefore, a method and apparatus for integrating a client network adapter setup with a residential gateway or access point setup, so the customer only deals with a single user interface that accepts encryption and network name information is needed.